By Tribune Staff
In a Presidential election season that feels a lot like déjà vu, many voters are expressing discontent with the frontrunners on both sides and tuning out heavily contested local races as well. That’s forcing some candidates to work overtime to share their message around key issues and build coalitions in hopes of encouraging voters to get to the polls.
According to Pew Research Center, Black Americans are projected to account for 14% of eligible U.S. voters. While Black voters have historically turned the tide in some elections, including the last match up with Biden and Trump, this election cycle is finding some less than enthusiastic sentiment around voting due to lackluster results for the Black community. However, there is still a push to get folks to exercise their right to vote.
The clock is ticking on candidates who want to get their messages across to voters. Early voting in Nashville started July 12 and ends July 27. The primary election will be held Aug. 1. In Tennessee, voter turnout lingers below 50%. According to some candidates, with voter fatigue a growing concern, energizing the Black voter bloc is critically important.
“I know candidates say it all the time, but if we don’t vote, it robs us of who we are as Americans,” said Clay Faircloth, Democratic candidate for the U.S House of Representatives, District 6. “So many voters have been witness to broken promises; it’s going to have to matter to them [voters].”
Faircloth, a pastor and Metro Nashville employee, said he decided to run for the office because, “I saw our neighbors, our families and our churches falling apart.” Among his priorities include building equitable communities, improving education and affordable housing.
“I see the pain people are going through and I want to communicate how important this race is,” Faircloth said. “All elections are important, and we want to motivate people to participate in their government.”
Chad Bobo, a Republican candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, District 60, has a unique challenge. As an African American running as a Republican, he realizes the Black community has not broadly supported the party but he’s working to change that.
“We are going door-to-door and letting people know we are out here,” said Bobo who formerly worked in warehouse management before transitioning into insurance. “My goal is to help youth and get families to where we are less dependent on government.”
Bobo’s strategy is to get right in front of voters to address the tough questions and clearly layout his agenda. On July 27, he will host a Back-to-School event at one of the city’s largest and most prominent Black congregations, The Temple Church, located at 3810 Kings Lane. He hopes one-on-one conversations with voters will allow him to share his position on improving education through school choice, job creation and transportation and infrastructure.
“I am the only conservative running for a seat in the state house in Davidson County and, as a conservative Black man, I want to focus more on talking about the issues and less about party lines,” he said.
Shaundelle Brooks, a former parole officer, is a first-time Democratic candidate with sights on winning the state house District 60 seat. Brooks became an advocate for gun violence prevention after her son, Akilah DaSilva, 23, was killed in the Antioch Waffle House mass shooting in 2018. Since then, she has traveled the country, engaging with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to push for meaningful policy changes. This time around she decided to take it a step further by entering the political sphere herself.
“We have got to have someone who can win in November, and I am that candidate,” Brooks said, who is running on a platform that also supports public education, affordable housing and men’s mental health care.
“So much is at stake,” she continued. “My priorities are the same as other women, other mothers across this 60th district – real improvement in our schools, real protection for our right to make decisions about our bodies, real gun laws that keep our children safe. Our vote is the most powerful tool we’ve got in this fight, and it is imperative that we use it.”
Karen Johnson, Nashville Davidson County Register of Deeds, understands well the importance of every vote counts. While not up for re-election this year, Johnson has run many campaigns vying for and successfully winning seats on the Metropolitan Nashville School Board, the Metropolitan Nashville Council and in her current role.
“It is important to get out and vote in every election,” Johnson said. “We’re early voting right now to decide who will be on the ballot in November for our state legislature, and that body has become a battleground for our rights as women, as parents, as patients, even as voters. It is critical that we get informed and select the very best candidates for the November election. Too much is at stake to sit this one out.”
